Gopher poison dispenser or the like



Dec. 2, 1969 A. METKE 3,481,511

`GOPI-IER IVOISON DISPENSER OR `THE LIKE Filed Nov. 8. 1967 United States Patent Oce 3,481,511 GOPHER POISON DISPENSER R THE LIKE Arthur Metke, P.O. Box 179, Cadillac, SaskatchewamfCanada Filed Nov. 8, 1967, Ser. No. 681,360 lut. Cl. G01f 11/24; A01m 25/00 U.S. Cl. 222-339 1 Claim ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLOSURE My invention relates to measured quantity material dispensers and has for its primary object to provide a novel, inexpensive and highly efficient device as characterized which is adapted for attachment to a farm vehicle for depositing measured quantities of poisoned grain in or near a gopher hole as the vehicle passes thereover.

Various specific objects and advantages of my develop ment will be understood and appreciated upon reference to the accompanying drawing" and related description dealing with a now preferred example of the invention. However, the disclosure is to be taken as illustrative rather than limitative as the invention is susceptible of other mechanical expressions within the spirit and scope of the subject matter claimed hereinafter.

In the drawing, wherein the same reference characters have been used to designate the same parts wherever they appear in the several views- FIG. l is a perspective view or a dispenser embodying my invention looking at the device from the bottom thereof and showing the parts in material dispensing position.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. l but showing the parts in outflow-cutoff position; and

FIG. 3 is a top plan view drawn on a reduced scale.

Referring to the drawing by reference characters, the device comprises a casing 4 having a hopper bottom 5 and a rectangular upper portion 6, which latter may carry suitable brackets (not shown) for attaching the device to a farm vehicle.

The open rectangular upper end of the casing portion 6 has the closure 7 which is pivoted at one wall edge as indicated at 8. V

The material-discharging lower hopper end of casing 4 is closed by the functionally integral rectangular closure plate 10 having adjacent one end the discharge hole 11 for the poisoned grain or other contents of casing 4.

Overlying the outer surface of the closure plate 10 and spaced therefrom, is the leg of an L-forrn plate 12 having a right angular foot portion 12a which is welded or otherwise secured to closure plate 10.

Pivoted as at 13 to the closure plate 10 adjacent its end which is remote from the discharge hole 11 and flatly contacting closure plate 10 is the ilat angular graindow control plate 14. This plate 14 has the angular branch portion 15 which is remote from pivot 13 as indicated, and is adapted to overlie the discharge hole 11 when the parts are in the post material-dispensing position shown in FIG. l, as will be better understood hereinafter.

3,481,511 Patented Dec. 2, 1969 The outer end of the swinga'ble flow control plate 14 has a cutout 16a at the inner end of branch 15 for the functionally integral material charge-receiving and dispensing collar 16 which spacedly encircles the hole 11 when the plate 14, 15 is in its normal pre-dispensing position of FIG. 2. It will be clear from FIGS. 1 and 2 that the outer end of collar 16 makes a flat sliding contact with the overlying leg of the L-form plate 12 to prevent loss of material from casing through hole 11 when the parts are in the FIG. 2 position.

Normally the plate 14,15 and collar 16 are retained in the pre-dispensing position of FIG. 2 by tension spring 20, anchored at one end to the post 21 of closure plate 10, and having its other end secured to the inner end 18b of a rod 18. This rod 18 is fixedly fastened to the outer surface of collar 16 and has its outer end formed with an eye 18a to which is secured the pull cord 22.

When cord 22 is pulledto the left as seen in FIG. l, the collar 16 with its measured charge of poisoned grain is swung outwardly of closure plate 10 to disch-arge its load into or near a gopher hole (not shown) while branch 15 of plate 14 seals hole 11. Then when cord 22 is slackened, the parts are returned to the FIG. 2 position by spring 20.

It is to be noted that outward swinging movement of 14, 15, 16 under the action of cord 22 is limited by engagement of a fixed rod portion 23 of branch 15 with the foot portion 12a of L-plate 12; and that plate branch 15 normally engages the spring-carrying post 21 to dispose the charge-receiving and dispensing collar 16 in the FIG. 2 position about hole 11.

It will be understood that the collar-carrying cutout 16a of 14, 15 (see FIG. 1) constitutes an outlet passage from hopper outlet 11 to the measured charge-receiving collar 16.

It is also clear that no matter how long the parts remain in the dispensing position of FIG. l, only the predetermined quantity of material will be dispensed.

In practical use, the dispenser can be operatively supported by a vehicle in a variety of ways without the exercise of invention and the pull vcord can be operated by the vehicle operator from a remote' point.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a dispenser particularly adapted for attachment to a vehicle for successively depositing a measured quantity of poisoned grain or other material in gopher holes in a field while the vehicle is in transit; said dispenser comprising an open topped hopper-form m-aterial container having inwardly sloping lower side portions terminating in an outlet-providing bottom wall of very minor area as compared to the open container top so that said hopperbottom will provide a sighting guide as an aid to the operator of a dispenser-carrying vehicle for passing the outlet over or very close to a gopher hole; the improvement of a rclosure for said dispenser outlet comprising an L-'shaped combined dispensing plate form member having a pivoted end and a free end in contiguous shiftable engagement with said bottom wall, pivot means connecting said pivoted end of said L-shaped plate to said bottom wall adjacent the other end edge of the latter for swinging movement to and from a first position and a second position, the apex of said L-shaped plate having a transverse material passage-providing-opening, said material passing-providing-opening being aligned with said hopper outlet when said member is in its first position, said free end of said L-shaped plate providing a seal for said hopper outlet at all times except when it is in said first mentioned position, a collar functionally integral with the outer surface of said L-shaped plate and surrounding its passage-providing-opening, said collar having an open outer end Iand its inner end receiving a predetermined quantity of material from said hopper outlet when said member is in said rst position, a bearing plate having a flange portion Xedly carried by the bottom wall of the hopper in spaced parallelism to the outer surface thereof to engage and seal the outer end of said collar when the latter is disposed thereunder, said L-shaped plate being movable about its pivot from its lirst position to its second position wherein said collar and related L-shaped plate opening are in a material discharge position outwardly beyond `a side of said hopper bottom Wall while the hopper outlet is maintained closed, a bar secured to said collar adjacent the pivoted end of said L-shaped plate, a bracket secured below the bottom surface of the hopper, a spring fastened at one end to said bar and at its other end to said bracket maintaining said L-shaped plate in said iirst position, a rope or the like fastened to said bar at the end opposite said spring tomove said L-shaped member 15 to said second position, a stop member provided at the free end of said L-shaped member to engage said ange portion of said bearing plate to limit movement of said L shaped plate in said second position, and said bracket engaging the edge of said free end of said VL-shaped plate to provide a stop when said L-shaped plate is in the rst position.

' References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/ 1884 McCarthy 222-449 X 11/1893 Long 222-449 X `2/ 1928 Rogginger 222-449 X 12/1935 Beach 222-452 X 12/1957 McCarthy Z22-448 X 12/1957 Smith 222-452 9/1959 Worth Z22-452 FOREIGN PATENTS 5/ 1931 Australia.

U.S. Cl. XR. 

